Avalon: Quest for Pandora's Box
by ShadowWolf95
Summary: It's been a while since the Web's been saved, and although the Sorceress is gone, the mages still have a lot on their plate with both high school and the Web. Some time into the school year, a lost faction of mages appear to plead the mages for help. New feelings rise and old feelings are reevaluated as the mages face off against a new enemy...and teen angst. (femslash warning)
1. Prologue

**I do not own Avalon: Web of Magic. It is owned by Rachel Roberts and Seven Seas Entertainment. Original characters are mine. WARNING there shall be femslash eventually.**

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It was dark. Very dark. He knew that. It was always dark. One would think that as a creature used to the night, he would have been able to find his way through. One would think that as a minion of the Sorceress, he would have had no problem seeing through the silk curtain of black. That he would have wanted to wrap himself in its sweet, pure, haze.

But no.

The darkness rubbed against his skin like burning ice and the walls of the narrow hall he walked through brushed against his skin like grease-covered rats and dry bones. Perhaps they were. Either way, he was uncomfortable. He was as uncomfortable as any goblin could be. He didn't really know where he was; he just knew that he was _here_, in this maze of incomprehensible darkness with fantastically terrible masters and mistresses.

The Council's room was the only lit real room in the entire place, filled with parchment, tapestry, putrid smell, and magical objects. It resembled the dining hall of a king of old, but it's sinister atmosphere made it feel like a medieval torture chamber. As the goblin stumbled over something cold and wet and moving, he realized he had finally found the large, heavy door of the Council. He struggled to open it, one of the mugs of ale he balanced on the tray in his long, bony fingers threatening to fall. As he stepped into the dim candlelight of the room, he was seized by his neck and held fast by a huge, meaty fist. He was faced with gleaming red eyes and a fury that could only be matched by the brightest flame in the underworld.

"You _imbecilic creature_!" his master seethed, tightening his grip. "Do you know how long we _waited _for your _disgusting_ hide to get here with our drinks!?" The creature in his grip squirmed and clawed at his master's hand and made squeaking noises that sounded vaguely like pleads for forgiveness. The great form shook the poor creature in his grip harder, his raw fury leaking in out in his perspiration and reeking like dead bodies. From the shadows came a lilting, deep, and sultry voice.

"Let the poor thing go," it said softly, soothingly. A handsome young man with electric blue eyes, dark hair, and a dark complexion stepped out from the shadows, pausing to place a well-sculpted hand against the rough leather of the meaty giant strangling the goblin. The giant's grip loosened as he turned to glare at the young man, and the goblin slipped to the floor, quivering. Apologies spilled from his thin lips as he scurried away, out the door and into the maze's darkness.

He skittered away like a cockroach, rubbing his neck and thanking every one of the numerous gods he could remember. He didn't have long to savor the good feeling of freedom, however, because he soon came into collision with a well-toned lady-leg. The owner glared down at him with feral purple eyes, and he cowered once more. She brushed her long, midnight hair away from her shoulder before she advanced closer to him, then past him, movements as liquid and predatory as a cat's. She pushed him aside with her foot and passed him by.

"You're underfoot, creature," she said, her voice arrogant, haughty, and cold. It was as smooth as the steel of a well-tempered blade and just as cutting. She strolled past him to open a door that he hadn't noticed before. Chaotic noise erupted from the hall behind the door before an eerie hush fell upon it.

The goblin only stayed long enough to hear the woman's cold voice criticize the room's inhabitants, some of which he hadn't noticed but had been painfully aware of, before scampering away into the depths of the castle-maze. His palms were sweating and his head pounded from fear and pain, but he was obedient and dutiful just the same.

For the first time in his life, he wished he had died with the Sorceress.

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**A/N: Hey there, Avalon fanfiction archive! You look deprived of fan works! Howdy, and welcome to Avalon: Quest for Pandora's Box! This is a take on one of the many quests that may have happened after the end of the first series. This is a Prologue, or that one really short chapter before the actual story to give it some weird mysterious feeling. This is rated PG, so don't expect cussing around here. Femslash is going to happen. That's about it. This story is to be kept mostly PG, PG-13 at best/worst. PG can be dark without being over the top. Remember Digimon Tamers? Stuff was **_**dark,**_** man. **_**Dark.**_


	2. Chapter 1

**I do not own Avalon: Web of Magic. It is owned by Rachel Roberts and Seven Seas Entertainment. Original characters are mine. WARNING there shall be femslash eventually.**

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Adriane's head fell into her bag with a _thump_. Her long, dark hair covered her face like a curtain and she groaned. If Emily didn't know better, she would have thought she heard Adriane snoring. It was Biology class, the period just after lunch for the two mages, and Adriane was about ready to fall over and die. She was _exhausted_.

High school was a killer. It really was. The fact that the mages had to be the Magic Web's personal police force every other day certainly didn't help their case. Adriane, being a warrior and the one who had to confront the physical threat every time, was always exhausted. All her energy was used either on homework or on fighting, and it left her with very little energy for anything else. Emily and Kara, for their parts, had become very good diplomats. They would have had to, as the Web was in absolute chaos since the defeat of the Dark Sorceress and the shift of the Magic Web.

The week the mages were gone was a week too long. The Web knew all about them by now, and there was talk of them all over. They were heroes, some said, for saving the home of magic. But there were many, of course, who said otherwise. Portals that were once quite organized were now aligned with other places. Locations were scattered, since all the other places and planes on the Web had to realign themselves with Ravenswood and, by association, Earth. Creatures that had once refused to make themselves known were now coming out of hiding, and creatures that had pledged themselves to the Dark Side still insisted on wreaking havoc. In short, the entire Web was completely flooie.

Of course, in this fine time of confusion, the magic black market was booming. Things like magical artifacts were stolen, treasure hunters and raiders were everywhere, and bounty hunters and assassins thrived. Logan, for all of his schemes, tricks, and love of business, had mysteriously disappeared from the scene entirely, for better or worse. To Adriane, he was just one more pest gone.

Being as that was, it meant the mages were constantly caught between two worlds. The preserve, with its new landmark status, meant that it was now a popular tourist attraction, and it required a lot of attention. The magical animals would come in and out of the portal at will, and the new arrivals were constantly causing trouble. It meant even more hard work than before, and that was saying something.

And so Adriane Charday – warrior mage, heroine, mysterious, emotional tall girl, and rocker chick – was left just _wanting a nap, for Pete's sake!_ Emily sat down beside her friend and patted her comfortingly on the back.

"_Why _did I think it was a good idea to take Biology Honors?" Adriane moaned into her backpack's front pocket. "There's so much _homework_…"

"I'm sure Mr. Peterson won't give us work this weekend. He usually lets us off when we have tests."

"…There was a test today?" Adriane looked up to see Emily nod and give her a sympathetic look. The warrior sighed and let her head fall again. The bell rang and Adriane forced herself to sit upright. Emily leaned back over to her side of the table and waited for the teacher to come in.

Mr. Peterson was a man who looked like his name. He was average, with an average face and height and weight. He was in his late thirties, and although his passion for the subject shone through frequently, his difficult curriculum often turned students away. He tried a little too hard sometimes, but the students loved him for it anyway.

On this day, around a month into the school year, he was trying to see if he could take roll without calling out names. He was already having some difficulties when two students walked into the room.

These two people were new. Anyone in the room could have told you that. Adriane could tell they were new, not because she had never seen the before, but because she had_ definitely_ seen those clothes before. They looked like natives of Aldenmor, or some other equally old-fashioned and far off place on the Web.

The shorter of the two looked to be a head or more shorter than her counterpart. She wore the kind of glasses that were slim enough that she could look over them and stare at you whenever she wanted, but still manage to look scholarly in the extreme. She had sharp almond shaped eyes the ashy-brown color of tree bark, with long hair a tinge darker. It was pulled back in a messy way, like she hadn't had the time that morning to care. She looked directly at Adriane and seemed to stare at her for a while, putting the warrior on edge. She looked away quickly, though, and spoke to the teacher in a monotone way.

"We're sorry we're late. We got a bit lost." She didn't sound apologetic, but she didn't sound sarcastic either. Her voice was quiet and soft, as if she was telling someone a secret. She sounded sincere, but a little flat.

"That's fine and well. I see you two are new students, so I'll need you two to find a seat somewhere. When you're done, tell me so I can write your names down on the roll." If Mr. Peterson had taken any notice of their strangeness, he gave no sign of it, and the two girls found seats near the back of the room.

Emily observed her friend's agitation.

_That one was staring at me!_ Adriane cried telepathically.

_I'm pretty sure that's just your fatigue playing tricks on you,_ Emily replied, glancing at her friend. Just as she finished her thought, however, she found that the taller of the two new girls was staring at _her._

The taller one was, well, _tall_. Taller than Adriane, even. She had a lop-sided grin on her face, the kind someone gives you when they just shared a really great joke with you and they were still laughing about it on the inside. Her eyes were blue, but a dull one, something bridging on gray. Her hair was unruly, short, and dark, the same color as the sky before a major storm. What little of it that could be controlled was tied back, not that it did anything. The second she caught Emily looking back at her, she looked away, the grin still proud and wide and mischievous. Emily couldn't help but wonder what the big joke was.

_Well, maybe not. The tall one was looking at me._

_I've seen clothes like that on Aldenmor. And their ears are pointed! Should we investigate?_

_We should let Kara know first, just in case._

Of course, the distance between them and Kara was too great for them to just telepathically talk to her, so they had to wait until the end of class to actually contact her. The three passed each other in the halls, Emily and Kara in the halls near the lockers and Adriane and Kara near the cafeteria.

_There are two new magical potential-threats hanging around the school,_ Adriane reported.

_I know! The short one was like, totally staring at me during Geography this morning._

_Geography sucks._

_Yes, it does. Anyway, what do you think's up with them anyway?_

_Dunno. I don't think that they're warlocks…_

_What? Door locks? You're cutting in and out. I'll have to call you back later. Bye, Xena._

_Later, Barbie._

Walking into her Geometry class, she noticed the tall one looking out the window near the back of the room. The short one was reading beside her. Occasionally, they would exchange a glance, or the small one would grin as she read, but her face would always return to the default expression lacking emotion. When the tall one glanced up at Adriane, the warrior was immediately put on edge. There was an odd predatory glint in her eye that showed stark against the bright expression on her face.

_The name's Lavan, warrior. As nice as it is up here, I don't particularly like being called "the tall one". You can stop looking at me like I'm going to eat you, by the way. I don't bite._

Adriane started and scowled.

_Much. _Lavan smiled like she was going to laugh. _You look so surprised! We're just mages like you, you know._ Lavan looked up to speak to Molly, who had just asked where she had previously gone to school. "A boarding school in Europe," she replied. Her voice was deep and smooth, and a tease of a smile played on her lips. Molly nodded and left as Lavan turned to her friend to say something.

Adriane took her seat in the most nonchalant way possible, sitting on the opposite end of the room. She tossed an equally nonchalant glare to the other side of the room. Heather asked her what the answer to the last question on the homework was. As Adriane attempted to explain it, she spoke to Lavan.

_How do I know I can trust you with anything? You could be dark mages or something. Where are you bondeds? Stones? Where did you even come from? _Adriane set down her pencil and Heather thanked her. Lavan grinned broadly, looking back at her shorter companion. She played with a dark colored shard hanging at the end of a leather cord.

_Oh, they're around…_ The shorter one closed her book, looking slightly annoyed.

_Lavan, I thought I told you not to blow our cover._ The girl's voice was soft, bordering on soothing. It was very different from her voice from , who had her hand on her cheek looked up a little.

_But she just looked so darn unhappy! And tired. I think we were stressing her out._ Lavan cocked her head and her companion rolled her eyes, but smiled a little.

_Well, you could have at least introduced me._ The shorter one picked up a leather-bound notebook near her and went to go speak to the teacher at the front of the room. As she pointed to something on the page, she briefly glanced at Adriane. _I'm Mica._ As she sat down, she turned to Lavan and said, "You got the formula wrong again. It goes like this…" Lavan scratched her head embarrassedly.

_We have to ask you mages something important. Is there any place we can meet you?_ Mica pointed at a few numbers as Lavan nodded.

_I don't trust you_, Adriane replied with narrowed eyes. She saw Mica shrug from across the room. Lavan looked at Adriane as the Geometry teacher walked to the front of the class and the late bell rang.

_We'll find you regardless,_ Lavan's voice said, sounding teasing._ There's only one portal in this general area, after all._ Class started, and Adriane couldn't concentrate on the mages across the room, what with the evil of Geometry happening.

She was still way too tired for this.

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The class ended, Adriane rushed out to find Emily and Kara. She found them both in the front of the school, talking to Joey, Heather, and Molly.

"We need to go to the preserve," she said, grabbing Kara and Emily by the wrists and dragging them away. Kara waved to Molly and Heather.

"We can talk later, okay girls! Landmark status means a lot of work!" she cried hurriedly. Adriane whipped her friends around before breaking into a jog. Kara turned to Adriane with an annoyed scowl as she caught up with her friend's strong gait. "_Rude_, Xena!" she exclaimed, lightly punching her in the arm. "I didn't even get to give a real _excuse!_"

"Can it, Barbie, those new students are mages and they're headed for Ravenswood!" Emily jogged beside Adriane and tossed her a worried look.

"What do they want?" she asked as they turned onto the road leading to the preserve. "Do you think they're dark?"

"Dunno. They told me they needed to ask us something." Adriane opened the gate and slipped in before calling to Dreamer. "They're suspicious." Kara rolled her eyes.

"You're always suspicious these days, Adriane."

"For good reason!" she cried. Dreamer galloped out, taking a running jump at Adriane. _There are other mages in the portal field!_ He said. He and Adriane galloped away, Emily and Kara behind them. Ozzie ran out from the manor as they passed it.

"Gah! What's going on!?" he cried as he climbed into Emily's arms. "Tweek almost exploded! Twice!" Tweek swooped in Ariel, waving his stick arms excitedly.

"Oh me twig! No one has seen these mages since…before the dragons went into hiding!" Ariel landed on Kara's shoulder, Tweek falling on her head.

"They're _that old_!?" Kara cried as she and Emily caught up with Adriane. Lyra swooped down to Kara's side and padded next to her, nudging her reassuringly.

"Well, no, but those _kind _of mages. We thought they were extinct, like the warlocks!"

Kara ran into the clearing, just behind Adriane and Emily. The two girls from school stood before the Dreamcatcher, Mica holding a brimbee in her arms. Lavan smirked at Tweek as Ronif ran between her legs.

"Well, clearly we're not," she said. Mica let the brimbee down and turned towards the mages and their bondeds as Lavan took a few wide steps to stand beside her. On Mica's arm was a gauntlet that covered from her elbow to the tips of her fingers. A jade stone flashed from its place mounted on the gauntlet, in the in the center of the back of her hand. Lavan, her hands in her pockets, had something similar, with a blue stone mounted instead.

"This brimbee got caught up in an old trap nearby…" Mica said quietly. "I healed it, but I'm sorry if I overstepped any boundaries."

The brimbee ran up to stand behind Adriane and Dreamer. Emily and Kara stepped forward cautiously, Lyra moving in synch with Kara. Ozzie stood proudly by Emily's side while Adriane and Dreamer hung back, tense and ready to pounce if needed.

"We introduced ourselves to the warrior," Lavan said, "but not to you two." She looked at the other animals. "Or you lot, either." Mica cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses.

"My name is Mica, a healer, and this is my bonded, Lavan. We come as ambassadors for the Magic Weaver Academy and the realms sealed with it." Mica pulled out a stone similar to the stone that Crumble had when he had shown the mages a warlock map. From the stone sprang a map of a certain part of the Web. A large school was depicted, with several large temples surrounding it. "We come requesting that the heroes of the Web help us with a millennia old task."

"And what would that be?" Kara asked, as if she had to. She quite enjoyed being a "hero of the Web". Lavan stepped forward, taking the stone.

"You ever heard of Pandora's Box?" she asked. The map switched to show an image of several blurry shadow monsters lunging in attack. A young woman looked horrified in the background. "Greed, Lust, Envy…" Mica named, pointing to the various dark forms. Lavan turned her attention to the mages.

"We ask that you help us capture and secure the Seven Corrupted Fairimentals."

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**A/N: Again, as a warning note, I ship the crack ship Adriane/Emily really, **_**really**_** hard, and so I am some how going to make it work here. Sorry majority of the fandom. Anyway, thank you for the support, whoever you are. Read and Review, criticism welcome! (Just don't get on me with your ships. I ship it too. I just ship Adriane/Emily **_**more.**_**)**

**Oh yeah, and if you're wondering, Mica's face looks like Yuki Nagato's, sort of. When she had her glasses.**

**If you're thinking that the Weaver idea sounds familiar, it's based off the idea used in Dragonfable, SoulWeavers. There are differences, though.**


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